Malaysia to use indelible ink for upcoming elections

Malaysia’s Election Commission (EC) has confirmed that it will use indelible ink as part of the voting process in the upcoming elections.

The chairman of EC, Abdul Aziz Yusof, was quoted as saying on television that the commission would purchase the ink as soon as the dissolution of Parliament is announced.

“It will only take two weeks to receive the ink. Our preparation in terms of boxes, bottles and bottle lids is already under way,” he was quoted as saying by here.

The use of indelible ink during elections was gazetted on February 13, after repeated public outcry on incidences of phantom voters in the past elections. Countries that have previously used indelible ink during the voting process include Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

In the previous elections in 2008, the EC had ordered indelible ink but reversed on its decision to use it during the voting process four days before elections. Non-governmental organizations and opposition parties had slammed the u-turn, and accused the EC of siding with the ruling political party, the National Front.

In the recent BERSIH 2.0 demonstration in Kuala Lumpur, some 50,000 people walked for fairer elections, of which one of the demands made was the use of indelible ink.